Mother and Son
by AFanofALotOfThings227
Summary: Emma Swan has had a tough life. She barely ever gets a happy ending. The only thing good in her life is her 10-year old son Henry, so she is heartbroken when he runs away to strange place called Storybrooke...
1. Hard Life

Emma was done. Now to pick Henry up from school before he goes overboard with her birthday celebrations.

The thing was Emma's birthday was one of her least favourite days of the year. She didn't like getting excited or celebrating, but she did it for Henry.

She went to pick Henry up from school and they got home. Henry got a cake out.

Of course he got a cake. He always does.

"Come on, Mom," said Henry, "Have a piece."

"OK, kid," said Emma. "But cutting it is an adult's job, you know."

"I know," said Henry, giving the knife to Emma.

"How was work today?" Henry asked, as Emma cut the cake.

"Oh, you know," Emma said. "Same old, same old."

Emma worked as a bail bondsperson. She caught a guy named Ryan today, who embezzled an employer. Terrible person. Terrible situation, but it was a way to get a round. She had to make a living somehow to support herself and her son.

Emma had not had the best life. She was raised in the foster system, never getting adopted, always moving around different homes, and running away from all of them. Sometimes for a short period of time, sometimes for a long one.

She then got involved with a man called Neal Cassidy, and they were both troublemakers and criminals working together while being in love. But Neal betrayed her after she stole a lot of watches. She then went to prison for almost a year while pregnant with Henry.

Emma hadn't seen Neal since, and she didn't want to. He still doesn't know that Henry exists, and Emma didn't want him to. Emma eventually told Henry about Neal, but she didn't tell him everything.

All she told him was that he was a criminal just like she was at the time.

"How was school?" Emma asked.

"Oh, you know," said Henry, sarcastically, "Same old, same old."

Emma had raised Henry differently than most parents would. She tried desperately to protect him and stop him from living the life she did, but she could never succeed. She sent Henry off to school, something which Emma never got the privilege of. She gave him nice food, a good home, everything she didn't have. Making sure he didn't run away like she did all those times.

"Mom," said Henry. "Why are you so down?"

"It's just," said Emma. "I never found my parents. I find all these people, but not the ones who are most important to me."

"Don't give up," said Henry. "If you gave me up, I would never stop looking for you."

"Don't ever think for a second that I ever thought of giving you up," said Emma, who sounded like she was very offended by the comment she just heard.

"I didn't," said Henry. "I was just saying."

"Go to your room," said Emma, obviously not happy with him.

"But…"

"Just go."

She was lying to him. She knew she was lying to him. When he was born, her first thought was to give him up, she even had an adoptive parent lined up for him, but she changed her mind at the last minute.

She never got to meet this person, but she hoped that she eventually got a different child to spend her life with. Anyone who saves a kid from going into a system like that deserves it.

Regina was happy. 10 years she had been trying. 10 years! She kept asking herself why she wanted a kid so much but she just did. They had one lined up for her 10 years ago, but her birth mother changed her mind before she could take him home with her. She had tried again twice more, but other parents beat her to the punch.

Even with someone like Gold on her side, she just couldn't get a deal. Oh how she wishes sometimes that he was still Rumpelstilkskin. As much as she hated that man, he was good at intimidating people.

Now was her chance. They finally had a child lined up for her.

"You called me in," said Regina, sitting down, waiting.

"Yes," said the adoption agent. "If you're ready, we have a child lined up for you."

"May I remind you that this happened 3 times before and still I don't have a child?"

"Miss Mills."

"Why should I expect this time to be any different?"

"You can't," said the adoption agent, "But the good thing is you haven't given up. We have a child for you. Right now."

Regina stopped and a nurse came out carrying a baby. Finally this was her chance. Finally, she could have a kid. Finally, her bad luck was over…

"He's not crying," said Regina. "What's going on?"

"He must be asleep," said the adoption agent.

"That's not sleeping," said the nurse. "I think we need to get him to a doctor.

"Forget this!" shouted Regina, as she stormed out.

Regina was furious. If she still had her powers, she would've crushed the heart of that adoption agent straight away. But she couldn't. Why did this keep happening to her?

Henry looked up. He hated seeing his mom in a bad mood. What was wrong? He always knew she wasn't the biggest fan of birthdays, but it must've been a hard day at work for her or something.

Henry looked under his bed and found something.

His mom's diary. From 10 years ago, when she had him.

It read out:

_I gave birth to my son today, but I couldn't keep him. I wouldn't be a good mother. He needs something which I never had. A loving family. I hope that he has a good life, but I don't want to be a part of it._

Oh no. Henry thought. His mom had been lying to him all this time. Not only was she considering giving him up, she was outright ready to do it. He couldn't believe this.

Well, if she didn't want him, if she thought that he deserved a life without her, then that's what she'll have. Henry climbed out of the window, feeling very betrayed.

He was running away.

Emma felt terrible. What had she done to her son? She had definitely upset him. And now he's just wasting time up in his room. He didn't deserve this. Emma just lost her temper. She shouldn't have lied to him. She should've never lied to him, but she had to do something really big to make up for this.

"Henry, dinnertime!" said Emma, knocking on Henry's door.

No answer.

"Henry, I'm sorry."

No answer.

"Henry, please come out."

No answer.

Emma opened the door. There was no one there. Emma saw one of her old diaries on Henry's bed. Emma had hidden it on Henry's bookshelf. She bought Henry so many books that she didn't think he would ever notice.

But he did. And he read it. He read a page where she talks about giving him up. A page where she says that she doesn't want to keep him. The words she hated writing the most.

_I hope that he has a good life, but I don't want to be a part of it._

She regretted it only a day later when she asked for Henry back. She remembered how much she hated not knowing her birth parents and trying so hard to find them that she didn't want to wish it on another person. She decided, as horrible of a mother she was going to be, she had to try.

She thought she had done a good job. Henry was the only good thing in her life, and she had messed that up.

She needed to find him. She needed to tell him she's sorry and she never considered giving him up again. She needed to make up for whatever she did.

Regina was furious. And what's worse, it started raining. It kept happening.

She hated Boston sometimes. She really did. She couldn't wait to get back to Storybrooke.

As she was walking down the street, she saw a little boy on the streets, doing nothing but wait. Waiting for someone to notice.

"Hello," said Regina. "What you doing out here?"

"I ran away," answered the boy.

"Why?" said Regina. "What about your mom and dad?"

"I've never had a dad," said the boy. "And my mom doesn't care about me."

Regina looked at the boy. Why did she care? Back in the Enchanted Forest, when she saw a kid crying, she would walk straight past them, but now she couldn't. What was different about this boy than all the others?

"What's your name?" asked Regina.

"Henry," said the boy.

Henry. That was the name of Regina's father who she killed to cast the curse. She hated doing that. She said to herself if she ever had a son, that's what she would name them. Henry. After her beloved father.

"So," said Regina, "Where do you live?"

"It doesn't matter," said Henry. "I'm not going home and you can't make me!"

Regina thought for a moment. She wanted a kid. That's all that she's wanted for the past 10 years. She finally has a chance. Someone to share her power with. Someone to care about. She didn't care that she was sort of kidnapping him. He didn't want to go home anyway, so does this really count?

"Why don't you come home with me?" Regina asked.

"Really?" said Henry. "You would do that?"

"Yes," said Regina. "If you want to. I'm the mayor of a town called Storybrooke not so far away from here. We can go there and you can live there with me for the rest of your life. No one would even notice you'd be gone. I'll tell everyone I adopted you. It'll be nice. You'll make new friends, and I'll try and be a better mother than yours has been.

"Thank you," said Henry, overjoyed.

Henry got in the car with Regina ready to go. She was happy, but she thought that maybe the mother would come looking for him, but if that ever happened, she'd have found a way to stop it. She always does. She needed a son. And now she had one.


	2. Does This Count as Kidnapping?

Emma never considered herself to be a great mother. Hell, she never even considered herself a good one, but this happening made her think she was as terrible as the owners at the group homes she stayed in when she was younger.

She ran away from them, Henry ran away from her, how could this be any different?

She knew how it was different. She was going to look for him. This all happened because of a misunderstanding. Henry read the diary, thought she wanted to give him up all along. She really did care for her son. She started putting up wanted posters straight away.

Emma was a woman known to be good at finding people. It was her job after all. The problem was she usually went off to find criminals. Not her own son!

Emma hated the police. No way she was going to report a missing person case. It just brings back bad memories from her jail days where she served time while being pregnant with Henry. Hell, towards the end she had to raise a baby while still being in prison. She's going to get to the bottom of this herself. She didn't care what the police said about it.

"This is a big house," Henry said when they got home.

"Yes, it is," said Regina.

Regina was happy when she got home with Henry. If somebody questioned it, she just told them that she's just adopted a child from a group home. They would have to believe her.

"This will be your room," said Regina, picking out one of the three rooms she's kept empty for the past 28 years. She now realised how much she hated living alone.

"Great!" said Henry.

Regina opened the door. Henry looked a little disappointed.

"I know it needs a few improvements," said Regina. "But I'm sure we can get it sorted out for you soon enough."

"It just needs some books," said Henry.

"Books?" said Regina. "I've got lots of books."

She was lying. Since when did Storybrooke have books?

"Good, can I get one?" asked Henry.

"That won't be necessary," said Regina. "I'll get you one myself."

Regina walked out, happy with herself, Regina wondered if this counts as kidnapping. Does it? Because kidnapping was the only crime Regina couldn't do, but she never could. She always failed. What would be the point of keeping the child alive? No, this couldn't count as kidnapping. Why would it? Henry wanted to be here. And when you kidnap someone, they can't be happy with it, right?

Emma was there, waiting for a knock on the door or for the phone to ring. She would be okay with either. Had anyone seen Henry? Had anyone seen her son?

Suddenly, as she was about to give up and look for him in any place possible, there was a knock on the door.

"Hi," said a man. "Are you the woman with a lost son?"

"Yes," said Emma.

"Well," said the man. "My name is James Corndale. I think I might have saw your son."

"Where?" asked Emma.

"He was on the streets," said James. "Until he got approached by that smartly-dressed woman who always hangs around the adoption center."

"What?" asked Emma. "Who?"

"She calls herself the mayor of Storybrooke," said James. "Even though I don't think that's a real place. No one's ever seen it, been to it, or claimed to be from it, except her."

Emma stopped. He was talking nonsense. How did he even know any of this. Was he spying on her or something.

"How do you know this?" asked Emma.

"I was just walking along while they got in the car on the way to the woods."

"The woods?"

"That's definitely where they were heading."

"Take me there," said Emma. "Take me to these woods."

"You've never been into the woods?" exclaimed James.

Emma had to tell the truth. She had never been to these woods next to Boston. Why would she? And why was this mysterious kidnapper taking Henry into the woods?

"No, I haven't." Emma said. "Let's go."

"Fine," said James, reluctantly.

It was obvious he didn't want to follow a desperate mother looking for her son.

Regina walked into the abandoned library.

The library had been closed ever since the town was created. Regina didn't create the town, she just used it. She didn't choose who or what everyone was, just added little details like Rumpel having a good life. She didn't even decide Snow White had to be a teacher. The design of the town was not her's, so she didn't anticipate they'd be an abandoned library in the town.

"Where do you think you're going?" said a voice Regina knew very well.

"Gold," said Regina. "Where did you come from?"

"I've heard news," he said. "You finally adopted a child."

"Well, it's true," lied Regina. "One of your plans finally worked."

"A 10-year old child."

"Yeah. Well…"

"Madame Mayor," said Gold, "You have kidnapped a 10-year old boy."

"So?" said Regina. "You can't say anything. You've done things just as bad."

"What I do is make deals," said Gold. "They may be dodgy, yes, they might even be illegal, but I would never go as far as to steal a kid."

Regina was angry. Mr. Gold was once Rumpelstilkskin, Regina's teacher, friend, enemy, and everything in between. They had their fights, but in the end, he gave her this curse. And she could never be more thankful for that. It's just Gold wasn't as dark as Rumpelstilkskin was or ever could be. Surely he would approve of this. It's not like he had a kid or something.

"Look," said Regina, "He was alone. He hated his mother. What was I supposed to do?"

"Leave him," said Gold. "Or take him back to his mother."

"Yes, but…"

"I can keep your secret," said Gold. "With a price."

"No," said Regina. "I'm not giving anything to you again. No one would believe you anyway. You've got a way worse reputation in this town than me."

"If you don't want my protection, fine," said Gold. "You don't have it. But you just wait until the mother comes to Storybrooke looking for her son. It's bound to happen eventually."

"It will never happen," said Regina, confidently. "Trust me."

Emma and James were going through the woods looking for Henry, they couldn't find him.

Emma was right. This guy was a fake. He hadn't seen her son.

"Henry's not here," said Emma. "You tricked me."

"I didn't trick you," said James. "That crazy woman's probably took him home with her or something."

Emma looked over, saw a sign. A sign that read 'Welcome to Storybrooke', through there she saw a town. Storybrooke, this crazy town was a real place apparently, and she was standing right in it.

"Maybe he's in that town," said Emma.

"What town?" asked James, obviously confused.

"That town over there," said Emma, clearly pointing to Storybrooke.

"You're seeing things, Miss Swan," said James. "There's no town over there."

"Too right there's a town over there!" shouted Emma, now really annoyed by this guy who couldn't see what was right in front of him.

"Look," said the annoying and blind man. "If you want to step foot in an imaginary town, be my guest, but I'm leaving. And you should too. It's getting late. You should look in the morning."

He did have a point. Emma needed some sleep, she stayed up all night the previous night, what was she going to do now?

"I'm sleeping here," said Emma, reluctantly.

"Okay," said James. "But I'm going home. A complete waste of time. You were never even going to give me that money now, were you?"

"I would've if you would've found my son."

James walked away. Emma was alone in the woods, right next to a town which apparently only she could see.

She was in for a long night.

Regina took the books she got out of the abandoned library to Henry. As much as she hated books, she had to keep this boy around. Surely if she raised him he wouldn't have liked books, right?

"Here you go," she said when giving them to him.

"Great!" said Henry. "Thanks!"

"Now," said Regina, "You read those while I go and get you some dinner."

"OK," said Henry.

Regina was about to leave until Henry spoke again:

"My mother might come looking for me," said Henry. "And she'll find me. She is really good at finding people after all."

"Henry," said Regina. "If she cares for you as much as you said she does, she won't come looking for you at all."

Regina was lying of course. Of course the mother was going to look for him. Even if she was an abusive coward, and this wasn't a misunderstanding, she would still look to avoid getting arrested or something. But she won't find him. The thing is, no one outside of Storybrooke is able to see it. It just looks like a regular forest to them. They can't see it, they can't enter it. This is to hide it from view.

No one can leave Storybrooke either. If they do, there's a very high chance of injury or even death. Regina is the only one who can come and go as she pleases. Even if that's only to Boston to see which children to adopt.

Emma was sleeping in a forest.

It was terrible.

It was raining, the wind was going, the trees were swishing, animals were making annoying noises everywhere.

But it was all worth it to get to this mysterious town to find Henry and apologise to him. The kidnapper, whoever they were, probably took advantage of the fact that Henry felt down and used it so he would want to come with them.

Boy, that person will get a slap in the face once Emma finds them.

Emma had parked her small yellow car outside of the forest. She stole this car along with Henry's father 10 years ago. When Neal horribly left Emma to rot in prison, he left Emma this car because, well I guess it was because he wanted to leave her something?

It didn't make up for it though. It wasn't really that good of a car anyway.

She drove it into this apparently invisible town which apparently only she could see, and saw that it was quite small.

OK, this is going to be easy, she thought.


	3. WHERE IS MY SON!

Emma stepped foot in the town that definitely existed. She had to find Henry. But what if Henry wasn't there? What if this was just a big waste of time? No, she can't think like that! Even if he wasn't there, he should at least try.

"Hey!" she said to the nearest woman to her. "Have you seen this boy?" She was holding the wanted poster up to her.

"Oh, yeah," said the woman. "That's the boy the mayor just adopted?

"ADOPTED?!" Emma shouted. "AND SHE'S THE MAYOR AS WELL? BOY, SHE IS GOING TO GET A BIGGER SLAP THAN I THOUGHT!"

"Are you telling me that the mayor kidnapped a child?" asked the woman, obviously in disbelief.

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" exclaimed a very angry Emma.

"Wow," said the woman, concerned. "I knew she wasn't all good, but I never thought she would do something like this."

"Well, she did," said Emma. "And I need to find out where she lives."

"Down the street, take 2 lefts," said the woman.

"Thanks," said Emma. "Um, what's your name?"

"Mary-Margaret," said the woman. "Mary-Margaret Blanchard."

"Emma Swan."

Regina was glad she had Henry now. She will surely now be a good mother. Or at least make herself happy by trying. She knew she wanted a kid for a long time now, and now she finally has one, even if it is illegally.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Who could be here this early in the morning? Regina thought, as she opened the door.

A woman with long blonde hair was there. She was wearing a red jacket making Regina sure that she isn't from Storybrooke. But she must be. No one can come over here from abroad without Regina escorting them herself.

"WHERE IS MY SON?" she asked very impolitely.

No way. It was Henry's mother. How the hell did she get here? Maybe the love between her and her son brought her here. Except that wouldn't make any sense because this town was born out of hate.

"I'm sorry," Regina lied. "I don't know where your son is."

"You're lying," said Henry's mother. "You know, I may not have magic, but I have a superpower. I can tell when you're lying. And right now, you haven't said a single truth."

"I've only said one thing!" Regina protested.

"It doesn't matter anyway," said Henry's mother. "Where is my son?"

"So, you're Henry's mother?"

"Yes," said the blonde girl. "I'm Emma Swan."

"And Miss Swan, may I ask how you knew he was here?"

"Everyone knows you 'adopted' a child," said Miss Swan.

"No, I meant here in Storybrooke," said Regina.

"Someone spotted him near the woods," said Miss Swan. "Now open up or I'll call the cops. You may be the mayor, but I do have a strong case on my hands."

"We don't have cops," said Regina. "Only a sheriff, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't arrest me."

Not in a million years would Graham arrest Regina. She would crush his heart if he did.

"Whatever," said Emma. "Just give me my son back!"

"OK, okay," said Regina, now seriously fed up.

Oh my god. Can this mystery woman be any more infuriating? Regina wanted answers, but I guess Miss Swan wanted them even more. She was so confident that this would work. But it didn't. Unless she could convince Henry to not go with Miss Swan.

"He doesn't want to see you," said Regina. "You know why he ran away in the first place?"

"He's a kid," said Emma. "He misunderstands things. Now where is he?"

"Right here," said Henry, walking down the stairs.

Emma had found him. Good. The mayor was lying. She was glad she was. Emma walked right up to Henry to hug him, but Henry shook his head.

"See," said the mayor. "He doesn't want to talk to you."

"Henry," said Emma. "I'm sorry. I should've never yelled at you like that. I know that you were just looking out for me."

"It's not that," said Henry. "The reason you freaked out at me was a lie. You said you never considered giving me up, when your diary says exactly the opposite."

"Oh, Henry," said Emma, "You didn't read the entire thing."

Emma gave Henry the diary, which she had brought with her, so she could show him that she really does care and wants Henry in her life.

It said:

_Today, I went back to the adoption center to retrieve my child._

_I know that I won't be the best mother in the world, but it really doesn't matter. I have spent my whole life looking, wandering, just doing everything imaginable to find out who my parents really are. Whether he actually gets a loving adoptive mother or not, I couldn't let him live like I did. As much as I would probably hate this experience, it would all be worth it in the end._

Henry turned round. He obviously felt bad now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Because," said Emma, "I guess I was just scared."

Henry hugged her.

"Don't be scared," said Henry. "You are a good mother, and I'm lucky to have you."

Emma was happy. She had made things up with Henry and they were going home.

"Oh," said Henry. "I might want to stay here."

"What?" exclaimed Emma.

"Not for long. Just for a couple of days."

Regina smiled. Henry wanted to stay here? Why? She stopped. Did it matter? No. Of course it didn't. Obviously Miss Swan was going to try and convince him not to, but at least she knew that he wanted to stay.

"Why?" asked the swan.

"Because," said Henry. "We need a holiday, right? And it doesn't look like many people go on holiday in this place."

Well, a few days is fine. It can give her enough time to convince him and maybe Miss Swan as well to stay.

"Okay," said Miss Swan. "But let me talk to the mayor right now."

"I do have a name, you know," said Regina. "It's Regina."

"OK, Regina," said the Swan girl, sarcastically.

"So," said Regina. "What are you going to do?"

"You don't think we're really going to stay here, do you?"

"Well, I think you would respect your son's wishes."

"Well," said Emma. "We might be staying in town, but it doesn't mean we're staying with you."

"You know," said Regina. "Isn't making a child happy what being a mother is all about."

"AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING A MOTHER?!" shouted the short-tempered Swan.

"Nothing," admitted Regina. "But I want to."

Emma stopped. What did she mean? She wanted to? So, she wanted a child. So what? A lot of people do. But she still had no right to judge Emma. Is this the only reason why she kidnapped Henry? Because she wanted a child so badly? Oh my god, how selfish is that?!

"You know why I was in Boston?" asked Regina.

"Why?" asked Emma, sincerely. "Go on, tell me."

"I was at the adoption center," explained Regina. "Trying to adopt. I wanted a kid. I've been trying for a decade. It hasn't got me anywhere."

"Wow," said Emma, sarcastically, "I wonder why."

"It's just seeing Henry upset like that," said Regina, annoyingly. "Is exactly what I keep feeling when I've been failing to be getting a kid. I mean, 10 years ago, I was so close. They were literally about to give him to me, but at the last minute, the birth mother came in and said she changed her mind. She was in prison at the time. Why would they let her keep him?"

Emma was about to punch Regina for ever thinking of this as an excuse. But then she realised something. She was talking about Henry. A birth mother coming in from prison saying that she wanted to keep her baby. That's exactly what happened with Henry. This woman, who just took advantage of a 10-year old being upset was going to be the mother of her child. This was the person she was praising all this time. The mayor of the most mysterious town in the whole of America.

So, she was standing there, talking to a woman who was about to be her son's mother, but actually kidnapped him. Henry wanted to stay here. What could she do?

"OK," said Emma. "Henry can stay here for a while."

Good, Regina thought. Her completely true sob story worked. Maybe she should try telling the truth more often.

"As long as I stay here too."

Actually no, she thought. Let's just stick to lies.

"What?" Regina exclaimed.

"Yeah," said Emma. "This is a big house. You must have more spare rooms."

"Yes, but…"

"So it's settled then," said the very rude Miss Swan. "Henry and I stay here for at least a week."

"Okay, Fine," said Regina, reluctantly.

OK, she could deal with this for a few days. Damn! She just wanted to crush The Swan's heart, but it didn't matter. Soon, Emma will leave, and she'll think of a way for either her to give up Henry or for Henry to give up on her.

Henry was lying to his mom. The reason why he wanted to stay in Storybrooke isn't because they need a holiday. It's because _she _needs a holiday. Henry wanted to see his mom happy again, and for some reason, he felt like Storybrooke was the place for her to feel that. He understands now that she was only protecting him, so he hopes that she can think the same way about what he is doing for her.


	4. Storybrooke

Emma tried her best to stay strong, but she just woke up in the house of the woman who is the mayor of a supposedly invisible town, simply because her son wanted to be here. She had to respect his wishes. After all, they're not going to stay for long, are they?

"Morning Miss Swan," said Regina, impolitely.

"Morning Madame Mayor," said Emma, sarcastically.

"I thought you two made up," said Henry, sincerely.

"So," said Emma. "What's for breakfast?"

"Well," said Regina. "Unless I have a guest…"

"Which isn't that often," Emma mumbled.

"Miss Swan," said Regina, angrily. "If you're going to be a guest here, you have to speak politely to the owner."

"I'm only here because of Henry," said Emma.

"Guys," said Henry. "I really don't want fighting. I wanted to stay here for a reason. Mom, I know Regina took me, but she was only doing what she thought best. And Regina, I just misunderstood what was in my mom's diary, okay? Now can you two get along?"

"Okay," said Emma. "But I need to go on a walk, first."

Emma walked around the town, looking for a place to eat. She knew she was taking a risk by leaving Henry with Regina, but she was treating him okay before. She saw a café that looked nice.

It was called Granny's, it sounded nice too.

Emma walked in, looked at the menu, saw the usual stuff, nothing big.

"Can I get you anything, miss?" asked an old woman, presumably that Granny.

"Just get me a coffee," said Emma.

Granny went to the coffee machine.

"Well," said Granny. "I haven't seen you before, you new here?"

"Only staying for a week," said Emma.

"Where are you staying?" asked Granny. "Last time I checked, my place was the only one where you could get a room."

"With the mayor," said Emma.

Everyone stopped. Some people looked, some people stared, one person even spat out their drink. Wow, she was right. The mayor never had guests.

"What?" asked Emma.

"Well," said a girl with a red streak, probably her granddaughter. "Last time we checked, the mayor didn't allow anyone but her and a few kids to stay at her house.

"Well that's why I'm staying!" exclaimed Emma. "She's… helping me look after my son for a while, she said she wanted to get a start being a mother, or whatever, but I couldn't let her stay with my son without me also being there."

"Emma?" asked a familiar voice.

"Mary-Margaret."

Emma sat down opposite her.

"I thought the mayor kidnapped your son," said Mary-Margaret.

"She did," said Emma. "But Henry still wants to stay. She's been treating him well, even if the way she took him in is very very very illegal."

"So you're staying here for your son?

"Yeah. Not ideal. When was the last time someone spent a holiday in this place?" asked Emma.

"I don't know," said Mary-Margaret. "I think this place has always had the same people doing the same kind of thing."

"OK," said Emma. "This place sounds really boring."

"Sometimes it can feel that way," said Mary-Margaret.

Just then, a tall bearded man with short hair and a supposedly emotionless face came through the door. He was wearing a uniform, making Emma think that this is the sheriff Regina was talking about.

"Hello sheriff," said Granny. "What can I get you?"

"A bacon sandwich please," said the sheriff.

"OK," said Granny. "I'll get right to it."

"Who's that?" asked Emma to Mary-Margaret.

"Sheriff Graham," said Mary-Margaret. "The mayor's always seemed to have a crush on him, but he's never really shared the feeling."

"And who is this?" asked Graham.

"I'm Emma Swan," said Emma.

"She's staying with the Mayor," said the granddaughter.

"Oh, yeah," said Graham. "I thought I heard the mayor say that she had someone to stay."

"I'm only staying a week," Emma said.

"So?" said Graham. "I can show you around if you want."

"You're a sheriff," said Emma, "Shouldn't you be on patrol or something?"

"I should be," said Graham, "But not much crime goes on in this town really. Tell me, Emma, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a bails bondsperson," Emma said.

"Well," said Graham. "I'm pretty sure there's going to be none of that here."

"Again," said Emma, starting to get fed up. "I'm only staying here for a week."

"Sorry," said Graham. "But no one in Storybrooke has been that feisty to authority figures."

"Yeah, no kidding," said Emma.

Everyone in this town had a simple life. Emma's life was anything but. She never got to do anything without something going wrong. Therefore, these people never had the courage to stand up for themselves. They constantly had to stick to their rules. It was like time was frozen here because everyone did the same thing.

Emma left the diner. Storybrooke was clearly the weirdest place she had ever been.

Regina was annoyed. She always went on a daily morning stroll to see if the curse was going all right. She knew it was pointless, but she thought it was worth a try to check. Maybe it's more important now because Miss Swan was here. Never mind, leaving a kid at home can't be that bad, can it?

So she left.

She looked around. Marco was not fixing a roof. Dr. Hopper was not walking his dog. Ruby and her gran were not arguing about shifts, and weirdest of all Mary-Margaret Blanchard (a.k.a. that terrible excuse of a human being Snow White) was not clumsily walking.

Regina called herself stupid. It was 10:30. They would all be doing something else by now. Regina was late to her morning stroll, so this really bothered her. How can she check if the curse was still working if she was late? Wait a minute, 10:30? Regina looked up at the clock. It was moving. This was impossible.

Time was frozen in Storybrooke. The clock on the clock tower, nor any clock in the town should be working. The reason time was frozen in Storybrooke was so Regina could keep everyone and everything in place, also so everything in the town could last forever.

She went to see Gold. He's Rumpelstiltskin. He created the curse. He must know something about this.

"Madame Mayor," Gold said. "What can I do for you."

"The clock," said Regina. "It's moving."

"Yeah," said Gold. "So you finally got that fixed?"

"Fixed?!" Regina exclaimed. "It's not supposed to move! If anything, it's broken, and I wasn't the one who broke it!"

"And why would I know anything about this?"

"Duh!" said Regina. "You're the one who told me to do this! You created the cur-!"

"Regina," said Emma Swan, coming through the door. "I saw you come in. Tell me, while you're here, who's looking after Henry?"

"Emma," said Regina. "I'm not a babysitter. I'm the mayor. And I was late for my morning stroll, okay?"

"Emma," said Gold. "What a beautiful name."

"Oh, yeah," said Regina. "Emma, this is Mr. Gold, Mr. Gold this is Emma Swan, Henry's mother."

"Ah," said Gold. "What are you supposed to do about your reputation now?"

"Actually," said Emma. "I'm staying with her for a while. It's what Henry wants and it's what he'll get."

"You really are a caring mother, aren't you?" said Gold.

Regina sighed. What did Gold know about parenting?

"Madame Mayor," he continued. "We'll talk about your crazy curse business another day. Right now, I'll have to get back to work. You sort things out with your new roommate right here."

Regina stopped. Crazy curse? She never got to say curse! Emma interrupted before she could. Well, maybe Regina's asked him for advice on the curse while he obviously doesn't remember so many times that he guessed what she was going to say. It's not like hearing Emma's name made him remember he's the Dark One, right?

Emma had had a crazy day. But at least she can get to Regina's house, and check if her son was okay.

"Henry, I'm home," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Mom," said Henry.

"Henry," said Regina. "Sorry I left without telling you. I just like going on a morning stroll and I couldn't resist it, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," said Henry. "You had a nice day, Mom?"

"It's been all right," Emma said. "Storybrooke's a weird place, but I think I can handle it for a little while."

"Great," Henry said, obviously very happy.

Emma was staying here not for herself, not for anyone else, for Henry. Because he wanted to be here.

"What have you been doing here?" asked Regina.

"Just reading," said Henry.

"What is it with him and reading?" asked Regina to Emma.

"I don't know," said Emma, "I guess it's just always been something that he likes."

Henry was glad stuff were working out. He really wanted his mom to have a fresh start, for her to be happy. And maybe he was right. Maybe Storybrooke was finally the place where his mom's life goes well.

_**Can I please get some more reviews? I really want to know what people think of this story, since it is one of my first ones, and I'm really enjoying making it.**_


	5. The Price of Gold (Retelling) - Part 1

_**First of all, this is not a Swan Queen story. It has very little romance in it altogether. It is more about exploring a different way Season 1 could've played out. Also Emma is only staying for Henry. I'm trying to make it clear that she's still not okay with Regina.**_

Emma was done with Storybrooke. She really was. She kept thinking to herself why the hell was she staying there, and then she remembered. Henry. He wanted to stay here. She didn't know why. But she didn't care. If Henry wanted to stay, then she would want to stay.

But they've been here for 6 days. Surely, it would be time to leave soon.

Surely.

"Morning Miss Swan," said Regina, giving Emma a fright.

"Regina," said Emma. "I think we're going to be going home tomorrow."

"Is this because of me?" Regina asked. "Because, seriously, I don't mean to leave him alone all the time."

"Yes you do," said Emma. "Never mind. I was never planning to stay, and it's almost been a week anyway, so why stay?"

"What about Henry?" asked Regina.

"I'm sure he'll be okay with this," said Emma.

Regina was insufferable. The thought that she was almost Henry's adoptive mother scared her. She was so irresponsible, and the whole town was terrified of her! Therefore, everyone was giving Emma attention asking questions like "Does the mayor like you" or "Why is the mayor okay with you staying in her house?" Ugh! It's just a bore and she's definitely not staying here any longer.

"Morning Henry," said Emma.

"Morning Mom," said Henry. "What's the plan for today?"

"Not much," said Emma. "But we might make the most of our last day here."

"Last day here?" exclaimed Henry, rightly surprised.

"Your mother clearly doesn't like this place," Regina said.

"It's not that," lied Emma.

Why was she bothering being nice to her?

"Henry," said Emma. "We're not like the people here, are we? All these people are living a simple and easy life. They all have jobs that fit them… and well, I can't find a job here that fits me."

"What about that sheriff?" asked Regina. "You might be good at being his deputy. He's been looking for one for quite some time."

"Oh, please," said Emma. "If anything, this town is too peaceful. Kid, we don't belong here, okay?"

"But that's _exactly_ why I want to stay," said Henry. "I want to live a simple and easy life. I want to find somewhere to belong, and… it feels like I belong here."

"I'll think about it," said Emma.

Emma was at Granny's. She didn't like the people here, but she liked the food.

"You all right?" asked a familiar voice.

Mary-Margaret sat down next to Emma.

"Just," said Emma. "Henry wants to stay here. No matter what. I want to stay for him, but I don't want to stay for myself. I just want to make him happy."

"But you won't be happy yourself," suggested Mary-Margaret.

"Me?" said Emma. "I've never been happy."

"Really? There's never once been a time when you felt good? What about when you had Henry?"

"I was ready to give him up," said Emma. "I was in prison. I changed my mind, of course, but looking after a kid in prison was not easy."

"I would think not," said Mary-Margaret.

Emma stood up, and accidentally spilt cocoa on herself without noticing.

"Um," said Emma. "Do you have a laundry room I can use?"

Ruby, the waitress at the diner, nodded.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" said a girl, who was also in the laundry room.

"The sheets," said the girl. "They're… pink."

The young girl then revealed she was pregnant.

"Last night," said the girl. "I felt contractions. The doctors said that the baby can come any day now."

"That's great," said Emma.

Emma paused. In prison, when she was told this, the only people that would say 'That's great' to her would be the girls in prison making fun of her. And even then, they would say it sarcastically.

"But," said the girl. "When the baby comes, no one thinks I can do this. No one thinks I could do anything. Maybe they're right."

"Screw them," said Emma, angrily.

"What?"

"Screw them!" Emma repeated. "How old are you?"

"19."

"I was 18."

"When you…" said the girl. "When you had a kid?"

"Yeah," said Emma. "I know what it's like. Everyone loves to tell you what you can and can't do when you're having a baby, but whatever you're considering doing, giving them up, well, the choice is yours, I suppose."

"It's not exactly what you think it is."

"It never is," said Emma. "People will always tell you how to live your life. All you have to do is punch back and say 'This is who I am.' I wanted to give up my child once. I regretted my decision, but I get to live with the thought of not knowing my son every day of my life. You want to change things you got to go out there and change them yourself, there are no fairy godmothers in this world."

Emma was happy with what she did to that girl. She gave her advice. If someone said that to her, while she was pregnant, she would've thanked them for just being born. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

"Ah," said a familiar voice. "Madame Mayor. Is Miss Swan here?"

"Yes she is," said Regina.

"Mr. Gold," he said to Emma. "We met briefly on your arrival."

"I remember," said Emma.

Regina left the room. Guess business with Gold is business alone.

"Good," said Gold. "I have a proposition for you. I've heard that you're good at finding people and I need you to find someone for me."

"Sorry," said Emma. "I'm not working here."

"Her name's Ashley Boyd."

Emma stopped. Mr. Gold shown her a photo of the girl Emma helped back at Granny's. "She's taken something of value to me, I don't want to ruin her life. I just want my property returned."

"And what is it?"

"Let's just say it's something precious and leave it at that."

Emma wasn't buying it. Never the less, she was going after Ashley anyway. She might as well be to blame for all of this.

"So, will you help me?"

"I'll help her."

"Good."

Gold left. Emma went straight to look for Ashley.

It's probably her fault after all.

"So this boyfriend of her's, you think he had something to do with her disappearance?"

Ruby and Ashley were obviously friends. Everyone was right, Emma was good at finding people, just this time was different. Emma was looking for someone because it might've been _her _fault she had gone missing. This had never happened before. Not that she could recall anyway.

"He left her in the lurch right after they found out what they're expecting," said Ruby.

"She got a family?"

"Barely. A stepmom and stepsisters which she never talks to. Look, I don't know what you've heard, but it's wrong. Everyone thinks she's not ready to have this kid, but she's trying, taking night classes. Trying to get her life together. Do you understand that?"

"I think so," said Emma.

Wow, Emma has _never _tried to do something like that. She was always either being a criminal or catching a criminal, that she never thought of ways to make her life better.

"Then maybe you should just try and stay out of it. She's gone through enough already."

"I've been through it too, Ruby," said Emma. "I can help."

"Then try her ex then."

"Where can I find him?"

"He lives with his dad."

Emma went to see this guy. Sean Herman. She hoped he was nothing like Neal Cassidy. An ungrateful abandoning criminal who left his pregnant girlfriend in prison. Okay, he didn't know she was pregnant, but so what?

"Can I help you?" asked the boy which Emma presumed was Sean.

"Sean Herman?"

"Yes."

"I'm looking for Ashley Boyd. She's in trouble. I just thought that maybe she'd come to see you."

His dad got out of his car and walked up.

"My son doesn't have anything to do with that girl anymore," he said. "So whatever trouble she's in, he knows nothing about it."

"You're the reason they broke up," Emma said.

"Of course," said Sean's dad. "I'm not going to let my son ruin his life over a mistake."

Emma was seriously getting frustrated with this man.

"So you just told him to leave her?"

"What were they supposed to do?" exclaimed Sean's dad. "Raise a child from the back seat of a car?"

"Some people only have the back seat of a car."

"Well I'm not letting that happen to my son!"

Seriously, he has a kid himself. Shouldn't he be more glad about this.

"Sean, if you want to come, come," said Emma. "Stop letting other people make decisions for you. If Ashley runs away with this baby, she'll be in big trouble."

"She's running away with the baby?" exclaimed Sean.

"Sean, inside, NOW!" said his dad. "Look, believe me, if I knew where she was I would tell you. I went to a lot of trouble to get that deal."

"What deal?"

"You don't know? Ashley's agreed to give up the baby, and she's been paid very well to do so. I found someone who would give the child a proper home."

"And who's to judge whether Ashley is capable of doing that," said Emma.

"Look," said Sean's dad. "She's a teenager, and she's never shown any signs of being responsible. How could she possibly know how to be a mother."

"Because," said Emma. "I thought I wasn't. I was a teenager. I was irresponsible. I didn't know how to be a mother, but I gave it a go anyway. And if I can raise a child, anyone can."

"Well, I found someone who's going to pay Ashley very well," said Sean's dad.

"Mr. Gold," said Emma.


	6. The Price of Gold (Retelling) - Part 2

_**Sorry, I didn't anticipate this to be in two parts, and I know this is a little different, but I just want to do a few stories told from the perspective of an Emma who didn't give up her son. This is the first of a few that I'm planning to do. Hope you enjoy.**_

"Why didn't you tell me she sold the baby?!" exclaimed Emma to Ruby when she got to Granny's.

"Because I didn't think it was important."

"Well," said Emma. "While that's the reason she's running away."

"Look," said Ruby. "Ashley's my friend. I don't like the thought of people judging her."

"Ruby, where's your car?" asked Emma. "You didn't send me to Sean to find her. You sent me to Sean to give her a headstart."

"Look," said Ruby. "She's my friend. I was only trying to help her."

"Yeah, so am I," said Emma. "She's in bigger trouble than you know, Ruby. Where is she? Don't let her deal with Gold without me."

"She left town," said Ruby. "She said she was going to try Boston. Thought she could disappear there."

"How long ago did she leave?" Emma asked.

"About a half hour."

Emma was driving in her car looking for Ashley. She had to stop her. But then the thought came to her – _Why _was she trying to stop her? She wanted to do this. Then she realised that this isn't what she would've done, Emma would've just punched Mr. Gold. Fight back. Ashley, nor anyone in this town had the courage to stand up to either of them. She just wanted to run away.

Which Emma did. A lot. But she stopped after she had Henry. She had to protect that boy, and driving pregnant… well, that can't end well.

Emma found Ashley next to Ruby's car at the end of the road.

"The baby," she said. "It's coming!"

Ashley jumped into the car as Emma drove.

"Don't worry," Emma said. "The hospital's not that far."

"No!" said Ashley. "Take me back to Boston! I can't go back there!"

"We don't have four hours," said Emma. "Trust me, I know."

"He'll take my baby!"

"I won't let that happen," said Emma. "But are you sure you want to keep this child? You sure you're ready?"

"Yes."

"You sure? Because I wasn't."

Emma wasn't lying. Emma was not ready to look after a child. She was in prison, was going through a heartbreak, was living the horrible life she had always lived. She went back to get Henry. Why? Emma was not ready. Yet, she raised one anyway. She'd like to think she did a good job. She just wanted some good in her life. Some light. And Henry became that light.

"You weren't?"

"No," said Emma. "But I did it anyway. Look, I was not ready to raise a child, but I did because I needed something. He needed something. He couldn't live not knowing who gave him up, like I did, desperately searching every day of his life for his mother. I don't know if I've raised him well, but my life changed, and once you've decided it's yours, you can't change that. So you can't run away anymore. I stopped when I had Henry. You have to watch them grow up, you can't ever leave. I never did. You understand?"

"Yes," said Ashley. "I want my baby."

Emma got to the hospital. When she got there, Gold was already there and waiting. She was so angry with him that she just wanted to throw something.

"Ah, this must be my lucky day," said Gold. "Care for a cup, Miss Swan?"

"A baby?" Emma exclaimed. "That's your merchandise? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because at the time you didn't need to know," said Gold.

"Really?" said Emma. "Or you thought I wouldn't take the job?"

"I thought it would more effective if you found out yourself," said Gold. "After seeing Ashley's hard life, I thought it would make sense."

"I have the hardest life out of anyone else on the planet," Emma stated. "And I still kept my kid. And I wouldn't give anything to reverse my decision. If I can look after a baby, anyone can. You're not getting that kid."

"We have an agreement," said Gold. "And my agreements are always honoured. If not, I'd have to involve the police, and the baby will go into the system. And now we wouldn't want that, would we? You certainly didn't enjoy your time in the system, did you Miss Swan?"

"That's not going to happen."

"I admire your confidence," said Gold. "But all I have to do is press charges."

Emma was getting frustrated with Gold. Why is every authority figure in this town so annoying and intolerant? First Regina, and now Gold, but Emma had to defend Ashley's right to keep her baby just like she had to defend her own all those years ago.

"You know," said Emma. "No jury is going to arrest a girl who's only reason for breaking and entering was to keep their child. Somehow I suspect there is more to you than just a simple pawnbroker. You really want to start that fight?"

"I like you, Miss Swan," said Gold. "You're not afraid of me, and that's neither cocky or presumptuous. Either way, I'd like you on my side."

"So, she gets to keep the baby then?" asked Emma, who was happy she was finally getting through to him.

"Not so fast," said Gold. "My agreements don't work that way. If you want Ashley to keep the baby, are you willing to make a deal with me?"

"What do you want?"

"I don't know just yet," said Gold. "Let's just say you owe me a favour."

"You know I'm leaving soon, right?" said Emma.

"You might want to reconsider," said Gold. "This place has more to like than dislike, let me tell you."

Emma went over to Ashley who was holding the baby.

"What's her name?" asked Emma.

"Alexandra," said Ashley.

"That's pretty," said Emma. "You know I didn't know what to call Henry for a while. It took me almost a month to think of a name."

"Thank you for getting me out of here," said Ashley.

"Mr. Gold was out there," said Emma. "I took care of it. She's yours."

"She is?" exclaimed Ashley. "But what did you do?"

"Made a deal with him," said Emma.

"Thank you," said Ashley who was extremely thankful.

Emma thought for a moment. Why was she helping out a random girl she didn't know? It wasn't like her to help people out. She did go through a very similar situation 10 years ago, but wasn't sure what would happen. She's made legitimate friends here. She's been happy here. She's just refused to see it.

It was the next morning. Henry was getting ready to leave Storybrooke, just like Emma said. Although, she was reconsidering.

"Come on," Regina said. "I want you out of my house by ten."

"Mom," said Henry. "Do we really have to leave?"

Emma thought for a moment. She thought about everything that happened yesterday. She liked helping people out more than she thought and she had a person to relate to. She thought about Mary-Margaret, and how they were legitimately friends, something which Emma hadn't had in years. She thought about Regina and Gold, and disregarding how insufferable they were, she never really hated anyone that much. She thought for a second. No, she didn't want to leave this place.

"Maybe we can stay here for a little longer," Emma said.

"Yes!" Henry said, overjoyed.

"Okay," said Regina. "But you need to start eating _my _dinner, and letting me have my morning stroll, okay?"

"Okay," Emma and Henry both said together.

Emma then wondered if her future was in this town, Storybrooke, her and Henry's. I guess she'll just have to find out.


	7. Settle Into Storybrooke

Emma Swan was trying to settle down into Storybrooke. She knew that she would never fit in entirely, but she had to try. The day after she decided to stay, Sheriff Graham walked up to her.

"Emma Swan," said Graham.

"Sheriff Graham," said Emma. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I heard you're sticking around for a bit longer."

"Yeh, and what's it you?"

"What about a job?" Graham asked. "Fancy being my deputy?"

Emma stopped. Deputy Sheriff of Storybrooke? Did she really want to something as out and about as that? She did want to spend more time with Henry after all. So did she really want to waste it?

"Sorry, but I already have a job," Emma lied.

"What?" asked Graham, "A bail bondsperson? Not much of that going on here."

"I don't see any sheriffing going on here either," Emma said.

"Well, here's your chance," said Graham. "Why don't you think about it? Give me a call when you've made up your mind."

"Okay," said Emma.

Emma didn't want to be Deputy Sheriff of Storybrooke, but she had to find a job somehow, she guesses. She needs to support herself and Henry. A bail bondsperson wasn't the highest paying job in the world, but it was something. And Graham was right. There was none of that going on here. If Emma wanted to stay here, she would have to find a job.

Storybrooke was a place of style. A place of peace, a place of misery, a place of cowardice.

That was until Miss Swan turned up.

She had only been here a week, but Regina could already tell that something was wrong. For one, she somehow has the power to see the town, and upon her arrival, time started in Storybrooke. Regina was only sure of one thing.

Emma Swan has to be out.

But what about her son? Honestly, he was annoying. The feeling that Regina got with him when they first met, when Regina 'kidnapped' him, was gone. She now didn't care. She was sick of constantly having to watch him. If she was going to have a kid, she was going to have to raise them through their infancy, not just start raising them in their pre-teen years. She needed to get to know the kid. Honestly, now she hoped they had only stayed that time.

There was only one person who could help Regina now. Gold. Yes, she knew he didn't remember he was Regina's biggest frenemy, but maybe she can try and get something out of him anyway.

"Madame Mayor," he said. "What can I do for you? Please make it have nothing to do with that curse thing you keep talking about."

"It's not about that," Regina said, "It's about Miss Swan. Ever since she came to this town, things have well.., changed. Do you know anything about it?"

"Miss Swan brings an attitude unfamiliar to the other citizens of Storybrooke," said Gold. "She stands up for herself, stands up for her son, and most noticeably stands up to us. I guess that might have an influence on other people. Do you think this is a problem?"

"Of course it's a problem!" Regina shouted. "I can't control the town anymore because of her!"

"Actually, dearie," said Gold. "I think you two have a lot in common."

Regina stopped and thought about what Gold was saying. How could she have anything in common with that Swan girl? Anyway, right now he didn't sound like Gold. He sounded like the man he used to be. Was it possible? No, it can't be.

"Really?" asked Regina. "Is that so?"

"Yes," said Gold. "You both have never really been that happy, both are very strong women, both are very short-tempered."

"I'm not short-tempered!" Regina exclaimed, getting short-tempered.

"Think of it this way dearie," said Gold. "You and Emma Swan could argue about your differences, or embrace your similarities. The choice is yours."

Regina walked out. He was no help at all. This time she was trying to get him to _remember _he was Rumplestiltskin, but it seems like he might already remember. Somehow. And he's not telling Regina for some reason. She just needed her suspicions confirmed, and then she can work on getting Emma Swan out of Storybrooke.

Emma walked into Granny's. She was used to it now. She was a bit of a regular. It was a good place to get cocoa, and a good place to say hello to friends.

"So," said Mary-Margaret. "You're staying here?"

"I've made up my mind," Emma said. "Henry likes it here, and I don't hate it here, so I guess that's something."

"Great," said Mary-Margaret. "So, are you going to get a job or something?"

"Graham just asked me to be his deputy."

"Well," said Mary-Margaret. "Why don't you?"

"Why should I?" asked Emma. "Yes, I need a job, and I suppose being deputy might be interesting. Oh, I really don't know. I just want to support me and Henry."

"You're going to have to get one sometime," said Mary-Margaret.

"Oh," said Emma. "By the way, you're a teacher aren't you? Do you think you can get Henry a place at the school? Are there any other schools in Storybrooke?"

"No," said Mary-Margaret. "The one where I work is the only one. But I really don't know. I'll talk to the principal, but we haven't had a new student in years. I don't know how the other students will react. Does Henry do well at school?"

"He's great at English," said Emma. "Maths, not so much."

"Well," said Mary-Margaret. "I look forward to teaching him."

"I hope he can get a place," said Emma.

"Did Henry have any friends at his school?" asked Mary-Margaret.

"No," said Emma. "But I think that was because of me. The only friend I ever had I pushed away. I wanted to protect him from the childhood _I _lived. Do you think that's a good decision?"

"Emma," said Mary-Margaret, "I think you're a great mother."

Emma was glad someone said that, but she knew it wasn't true. She was not a great mother. If she was even a good mother, then Henry wouldn't have ran away. But she tried. She had to try. And she was glad she kept him. If she actually went through with giving him up, she would be even more miserable than she is now.

Regina had got home.

Emma wasn't here. Henry wasn't here!

Finally, Regina thought. Some alone time.

Then a knock came on the door. I guess she spoke too soon.

"Hey Regina," said Emma. "How was your day? Did you have a nice morning stroll?"

She said it in a sarcastic way, like nobody else has morning strolls. Regina just wanted to take her heart out and crush it. Emma didn't know why she did this.

"Miss Swan," said Regina. "Where is your son?"

"Isn't he in his room?" asked Emma.

_His _room? I guess the rooms in Regina's house actually belong to people now. That was just making Regina sick.

"Henry!" shouted Emma. "Come down!"

"Yes, Mom?"

Regina was stupid. Of course Henry was in his room.

"Henry," said Emma. "You're finally getting out of this house tomorrow."

"But mom," said Henry. "I thought we were staying in Storybrooke."

"No," said Emma. "I just got you a place at Storybrooke Elementary School! Mary-Margaret said she'll be happy to teach you!"

"Then what are you going to do?" asked Regina, very stern. "Lounge around here all day doing nothing?"

"Isn't that what you do?" asked Emma, cheekily.

Regina gave an angry look at her.

"I've got a job," said Emma. "Graham hired me to be his deputy."

Regina sighed. WHAT? The only reason Graham was sheriff of this town was because Regina could control him. She had his heart. How could she allow Graham to even hire a deputy at all, never mind it being Emma.

Then Regina thought for a second. This might actually be kind of good. Controlling Graham to see what Emma is up to might be helpful. She can finally see what is up with Miss Swan once and for all.

"Regina," said Emma. "Can I talk to you a second?"

"Of course," Regina said.

"You obviously don't want us here," said Emma. "Both me and Henry now. So why are you still letting us stay here?"

Regina thought for a moment. Emma had a point. Why was Regina still letting Emma and Henry stay here. She's hated Emma ever since she got here and she's started to fall out of love with Henry ever since she came here. She hated her, but she couldn't deny that Emma was a smart woman.

"Because," burst out Regina, trying to think of something. "You'll have nowhere to go. Putting a mother and son on the streets would surely be bad for my reputation, so until you find a place to stay, as much as I hate it, I'm going to have to let you stay here."

"Great," said Emma. "Because I don't want to stay here with _you _either. Everyone keeps asking what the mayor does at home and everything. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

She wasn't lying. Emma going out onto the streets would tarnish her reputation forever. This wouldn't be much of a problem if Emma _wasn't _here to give everyone the confidence they need to stand up to Regina. So she just had to think of a way she could get rid of Miss Swan without harming her reputation in any way. First, she has to get Miss Swan out of her house, but she had to find a way to do it..


	8. First Day at School

Usually at a new school, Henry was nervous. But this time, since he liked Storybrooke so much, it felt different. He had already met Miss Blanchard. This was a very small town after all. Henry got off the bus and into this new school.

"Morning Henry," said Miss Blanchard. "Welcome to my class. Class, today we have something very rare. A new student. Class, this is Henry Swan!"

The class stared at him. They were looking at him like they had never seen a new kid before. Even if no one had moved to Storybrooke in years, there would still be new kids coming up from third grade to fourth grade or something, right?

"Henry, take a seat," said Miss Blanchard.

Emma had been a bail bondsperson for 7 years now. Before that, she was a single unemployed mother for 3 years. Before that, she was in prison for almost a year after her late teen years she spent being a thief with boyfriend and future father to her son, the horrible Neal Cassidy. Emma had never really known how it was to feel like she had a new job. She wouldn't expect anyone to employ her except herself.

"Good morning Emma," said Graham. "Ready for your first day on the job?"

"I don't know," said Emma. "What do we do? Just sit around and wait for the phone to ring when we're needed?"

"Oh, Emma," said Graham. "It's a lot more than that."

"Like what?"

"We go out on patrol. Not every crime gets reported, you know."

"I know how crimes work," said Emma. "I used to commit them myself. Not that I'm proud of it."

"Course not," said Graham.

"Credit where credit's due," said Gold. "That was certainly a good excuse which I think even someone as smart as her would buy."

Gold was crushed. He hoped Regina hadn't figured out that he was awake. For all her faults, Regina was not stupid. But since she was coming to him a lot more than usual, maybe she had figured it out. Should he just tell her? Is there any reason not to? No, he has to wait a while. He didn't want Regina to know Emma was The Saviour for sure, though.

"Well I needed to say _something_," said Regina. "I mean she's taking fear out of this town! But then again, that's the only reason I care about my reputation now. Emma is taking fear out of Storybrooke and I need to know how and why and most importantly how to stop her."

"Well," said Gold. "Why do you keep thinking I could help? I'm just a pawnbroker who makes dodgy deals."

"You know you're not just that," said Regina. "Somewhere in you _knows _you're not just that."

Somewhere in you. So she hasn't figured it out. Good. But she wants him to remember.

"Something in me?" said Gold. "Madame Mayor, you don't need me. You don't need my help. I can't help you."

"OK," said Regina, turning to leave "I know you can't help me anymore. You're not the Dark One when you're Mr. Gold. You're just pathetic. Like everyone else in this town. I gave you a good life here, the least you could do is make mine better!"

"Oh, I'll make it better, Your Majesty," said Gold, revealing that he was awake.

"So you do remember," said Regina. "Rumplestiltskin."

"That's me."

Henry had a weird day. He still enjoyed English as always, who doesn't enjoy English? Maths was just as a bore as it usually was. I guess it just felt like a regular day at school. But Henry felt lonely, a feeling which his mom always felt, but his mom never liked Henry having friends around. Henry's mom was never really a trusting person.

"Hey," said a girl, coming over to him at dinnertime. "You're the new kid, right?"

"Yeh," Henry said, nervously.

"I'm Paige," said the girl. "Nice to meet you."

"My mom doesn't like when I talk to strangers," said Henry.

"We're not strangers anymore," said Paige. "I told you my name, and I already know your name because Miss Blanchard said it in front of the entire class."

"Yes," said Henry. "But my mom said to me that people are still strangers after you know their name. For a person to not be a stranger, you need to get to know them, you need to get to trust them, names don't matter. Trust does. My mom trusted my dad, but he got her thrown in prison."

"Wow," said Paige. "Looks like you have an interesting mom then."

"Eh," Henry said, "She's all right. She does her best to look after me. She didn't have a great childhood herself, so she wants me to make the most of mine."

"I feel sorry for you," said Paige. "I have 2 brothers and a sister. And I have 2 parents. You've only got your mother."

"My mother never trusts anyone," said Henry. "My mother is never happy."

"I'm sure she's happy with you," said Paige.

"I'm bored," said Emma.

"What?" asked Graham. "Was there never a dull moment when you were a bail bondsperson."

"I was my own boss," said Emma. "I accepted jobs when they were there. When they weren't there, I stayed home with Henry, making sure he was okay. It paid well. This is just sitting in a not all impressive office."

"You know," explained Graham. "Storybrooke isn't as quiet as you think. We can get crimes, there are people here who regularly commit them. One called Jimmy Pentry, he is a big thief."

"With someone with a surname like that," Emma said. "I'm not surprised."

"Your surname is Swan," said Graham. "Never thought that it was a common surname."

Emma chose her surname because of her favourite book 'The Ugly Duckling'. She wasn't given it like her surname 'Emma', where an 8-year old told everyone that was her name. It wasn't just a random name. She liked the idea of it, so she became a Swan. It didn't seem like an ideal surname, but it was something and it was something she liked.

"It's mine," said Emma. "And Henry's. No one else's."

"Never seen anyone get overly defensive over their surname," said Graham.

"Can we stop talking about names?" asked Emma. "And get to the crimes?"

The phone rang. Graham answered it.

"It seems like there's been a robbery," said Graham. "At the Storybrooke Superstore."

"The what?!" exclaimed Emma. "This really is a small town."

Regina was overjoyed that Gold finally remembered who he was. She had waited years for this. This is probably the only thing she thanks or will ever thank Emma for.

"So," said Regina, "How are we going to do this?"

"First," said Gold. "Don't get her out of your house. Isn't it best to keep an eye on her?"

"I suppose so," Regina sighed. "But did I let Snow White stay with me?"

"For a long time, yes," said Gold. "A common saying here is 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. Me and you have always done that."

"No, we haven't," said Regina.

"Even now," said Gold. "You still spy on Miss Blanchard every day. Face it, you care. So keep Miss Swan close to you. That's the first step."

"Okay," said Regina. "But I've already convinced her to try to find her own place. What am I supposed to do?"

"She might not want to stay there," said Gold. "But how do you know that her son feels the same way?"

Henry felt that his first day at school was just average. He wouldn't go as far as to call Paige his friend, or even his acquaintance yet, but he still wasn't sure whether his mom would approve of him talking to her.

"Mom!" Henry called.

"Henry," Regina came over. "Sorry, your mom's not back yet."

"What?" Henry asked. "She never gets back this late."

"Maybe she's taking a look at the other houses," said Regina.

"What?" exclaimed Henry. "Why would she be doing that?"

"Didn't she tell you?" Regina asked. "Emma's planning to leave."

"But I thought she liked Storybrooke," Henry said. "I thought she wanted to stay here."

"No, not leave Storybrooke," Regina said. "Just leave this house."

"Why didn't she tell me this herself?" asked Henry.

"I thought she already did," said Regina.

Henry was astonished. He thought his mom was done with lying to him. But I guess he was wrong. His mom is too unhappy to ever care what he thinks of the situation they're in. That's why she didn't bother telling him. She didn't think his opinion mattered. Henry went to his room, as mad as can be.

Mary-Margaret got home. It was a weird day. It wasn't every day she had a new student in class, but she enjoyed it never the less. Mary-Margaret enjoyed doing good things, especially for children. She expected a lot of things from Henry, judging how weirdly brave his mother is.

Mary-Margaret looked in her closet for a second. She found something which she had never seen before.

A book.

Not just any book, a very very very long fairytale book.

Mary-Margaret stopped. Where did this book come from? Who put this book there? Why was it in her house? It was almost like… magic.

Mary-Margaret laughed the thought out of her head. A lot of things seemed like magic. It never meant it was.

"Henry," said Emma. "I'm home!"

"Emma," said Regina. "I'm not sure if he wants to speak to you."

"What?" exclaimed Emma. "Why? What did I do?"

"Ask him yourself," Regina rudely said.

"Henry," said Emma. "Are you okay?"

Emma wondered what was wrong. Or was Regina just lying? She wouldn't rule it out, that's for sure.

"Why didn't you tell me that we would be leaving this house?" Henry asked.

"I was going to tell you," said Emma. "But I thought was too soon. I hadn't even been looking for places to stay yet."

"Did you think about what I thought?" asked Henry, obviously starting to get angry. "Did you ever think of whether I wanted to go?"

"Oh, Henry," said Emma. "Of course I care, It's just…"

"Just what?" asked Henry. "Because you know what? I've been staying here for you. You are the one that needed a break. And now you're getting it. So why can't you just be happy and move on?"

Emma was astounded. Henry said Emma needed a break to be happy. Emma never thought of herself as a happy person. Her life was full of horrible misery and hurt as she was moved around the system and looked at so many records to try and find her parents. She hated the thought of losing Henry, and now, as Henry ran up to his room, Emma sat down and thought about what she had done. He was right. She wasn't happy. She had never been happy. But it wasn't her fault. It was like the world was telling her that she doesn't belong here. In this world.

"Emma," said Regina. "Look, I never had any kids, but I still grew up with a mother I wasn't particularly fond of, so mind if I give you some advice?"

"I don't need advice from the person who kidnapped my child," said Emma. "But, do it anyway."

"Don't keep on sheltering him," said Regina. "Let him have fun. Stop protecting him. Just be his mother and he'll be your son."

"You know, Regina?" said Emma. "You might not be that bad after all."

_**Thank you for all your reviews and support, and sorry the wait for this chapter was a bit longer than usual. Please keep reviewing because there's a surprise in the next chapter you wouldn't want to miss!**_


	9. Once Upon a Time

Even though Emma hated what she had done to Henry, she was still trying her best to make it up to him. During the next few days, Emma took him round Storybrooke, Emma walked him to school, Emma bought him books, talked to him, and Regina was helping this entire time. Emma felt bad that her relationship with Henry was shattered. Taking him round town and buying him stuff seemed to work, but she wasn't sure if it was going to be enough.

Emma had to go to work in the end. Being the deputy sheriff wasn't as dull as she thought it was going to be. She hated being away from Henry, especially now, but it had to happen.

"You okay?" asked Graham while they were on patrol.

"Aren't we supposed to be working?" asked Emma, impolitely.

"Yes," said Graham. "But you look a bit glum today, do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Why should I?" asked Emma. "You're my boss. I don't need to tell you about the struggles of being a single mom."

"Very well," said Graham. "But maybe don't think of me as a boss. Think of me more as a… co-worker."

"Fine," said Emma. "I don't care. Are we going to work now?"

"OK, let's go," said Graham. "Can't waste time or anything now, can we?"

Mary-Margaret was stuck with this book that appeared out of nowhere. Struggling to know what to do with it. She wanted it to just be something she's never noticed before, which it probably was, but she still hadn't told anyone in the past few days.

She needed to think of something. She needed a place to think. And she knew exactly where.

"Doctor Whale?" said Mary-Margaret. "Can I see the John Doe?"

"Yes, you can," said Whale. "We're not doing any tests right now. You sure go in there a lot, don't you, Mary-Margaret, any particular reason?"

"I don't know," said Mary-Margaret. "I just feel safe when I'm in there."

In the hospital bed laid a bearded man, her age, wearing the same thing he had worn for years. He had been in a coma for years, no one had claimed him. Mary-Margaret had been in here more than anyone else. It just felt like they knew each other somehow, even though, prior to him being in a coma, Mary-Margaret had never seen him before.

"Hi," said Mary-Margaret, when she got in the room. "I just thought of coming here. It always gives me time to think, and this book just appeared and I don't know what to do with it."

She knew he couldn't talk back. She wanted to think he did though.

"What do you think I should do with it?" she asked to the man in a coma.

No answer.

"Do you think I should take it to school?" asked Mary-Margaret. "Maybe the kids will enjoy this."

No answer.

"Good idea!" exclaimed Mary-Margaret. "I'll take it into school, and maybe someone will want it. I'll just have to see."

No answer.

"Mary-Margaret," said Dr. Whale.

"I'm fine," said Mary-Margaret. "But the John Doe just gave me a great idea!"

"What?" questioned Whale, with a very confused look on his face.

Gold should not have told Regina that he remembered. He just blew his cover! How could he do that? He wanted to find a way to break the curse through Emma before Regina finds out she's The Saviour and does everything in her power to stop her. Hopefully, that won't happen. Rumplestiltskin does not let things slip.

But Mr. Gold does. Sometimes.

"Gold!" Regina shouted.

"Regina," said Gold. "Good to see you. How'd it go with Emma and her son?"

"Good," said Regina. "Great. She's staying because Henry's staying. I guess every time Emma thinks of doing something, tell her son not to do it, and then she won't do it. It seems that woman would go up and beyond to make that kid happy without caring about whether she'll be happy herself."

"Are you sure that's not what you would do if you had that kid?" said Gold. "Remember 10 years ago, he would've been Henry's age now, right."

"Oh, don't bring that up!" exclaimed Regina. "That was your fault! Not mine!"

"It was my fault that the birth mother wanted to be an Ashley?" said Gold. "No."

"Oh, shut up," said Regina. "Let's talk about what really matters. The curse. What is going on, how do we stop it and has Miss Swan got anything to do with it?"

"I don't know, I don't know, and probably not," Gold lied about all of the answers.

"Well, we need to fix this!" exclaimed Regina.

"You do," said Gold. "I don't. I just got my memories back. I want to live in the moment. Why do you think I didn't tell you until last week?"

"Even when you remember," said Regina. "You're no help!"

Regina stormed out.

"So," said Graham. "Did you enjoy today?"

"That depends," said Emma. "What did we actually do?"

"We got called to handle a safe situation," said Graham. "That was it."

"Why is this town so boring?" Emma moaned.

"Why are you still here if you don't like it?" asked Graham.

Emma stayed in Storybrooke because she felt like she was needed after the whole Ashley situation. And now she's deputy sheriff, but the job wasn't as exciting as she thought. Henry liked the town, and wanted to stay here. She actually had friends for once, which was more than any other place.

"I don't know," said Emma. "Henry likes it here, for one. For another, I actually have friends."

"So," said Graham, "Time to finish up. Have a good night, Emma."

"As long as Henry's happy, I'm happy," said Emma.

Henry didn't know what to think. His mom seemed happy, but not too happy. She was trying to make it up to him, like she always does. He knows she means well, but Henry didn't really think that after the life she had, he never thought she could be truly happy.

Miss Blanchard came over to Henry, who was sitting alone, upset, and worried about his mom.

"Hey, Henry," said Miss Blanchard. "What's wrong?"

"It's just," said Henry. "I was thinking, should me and my mom really have stayed here? I know she was unhappy, but I can't really think of a time where she wasn't."

"Henry," said Miss Blanchard. "Life is unpredictable, you know?"

"Well," said Henry. "Is yours unpredictable? I've only been here a few weeks, and everything seems like nothing changes. Me and my mom's life changes way too much. A few weeks ago, I ran away because of a misunderstanding, and then we ended up here. Maybe we should just go home."

Miss Blanchard obviously felt sorry for him.

"Last night," she said. "I was cleaning out my closet, like I do every week, but you know what happened? I came across this."

She was holding a book. The book was brown and big and it looked pretty old. On the front it said its title and nothing else. No author, no publisher, nothing. Just the words 'Once Upon a Time' in all caps with the colours changing.

"It was just there," Miss Blanchard continued. "Like magic."

"That's not possible," said Henry, stating the obvious.

"Well, of course not," said Miss Blanchard. "But it happened. It was there. Was it a gift that I forgotten about? I don't know. But you know what I found inside?"

Henry started reading the book. The writing was definitely old, filled with versions of fairytales like Snow White, Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin, even though Rumpel himself was in every story. It was definitely nicely set out and well-written fiction. Even though he already knew all these stories, it felt like he was reading something new.

"Hope," she answered her own question.

"They seem like just fairytales to me," said Henry.

"And what exactly do you think fairytales are?" asked Miss Blanchard. "They're a reminder that our life will get better as long as we hold on to hope. Your happy ending might not be what you expect, but that's what makes it so special."

Henry quite liked the book a lot. It was really interesting, and the kind of book he liked. Henry loved books, but this one felt different and he didn't know why.

"Can I borrow this?" asked Henry.

"You can keep it," said Miss Blanchard.

"I can?" exclaimed Henry, excitedly.

"Believing in a happy ending itself is a powerful thing," Miss Blanchard said. "I think you can use it."

Henry turned the pages of the book to a page about Snow White and Prince Charming. Then he realised he hadn't said thank you to Miss Blanchard.

"Miss Blanchard," Henry said, taking a good look at her.

"Yes?" she asked.

Henry saw her wearing a dress that Snow White was wearing in the book. He then returned to reality, realising it was just his imagination.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Snow White, I mean Miss Blanchard.

But she did look a lot like Snow White. Almost identical. Henry turned to the end, realising the page about Snow and Charming's baby. The baby's name was Emma.

"Mom," Henry said.

If Emma was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, then that means they were Henry's grandparents. And the Evil Queen cast a curse on the Enchanted Forest, so they all ended up here in Storybrooke, where time was frozen, and they weren't allowed to leave, until Emma came. She was The Saviour. He knew this sounded crazy, but he believed it anyway. It was just a logical explanation. To him, anyway. And this was giving him hope of being in this town.

_**I don't get many reviews anymore, so I can please have some here? Also, sorry if Graham may be acting a bit out of character. It's been a while since I watched the first 7 episodes of the show. I'm planning to rewatch them, but haven't got around to it yet. I am also working on a new story. I won't spoil the plot, but it's much bigger, longer and complex, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**_


	10. Hope

Henry didn't know what to do. He just made what might be the greatest discovery in human history. There is a town, with no one but cursed fairytale characters, doing the same thing over and over again for 28 years until a woman called Emma Swan manages to save them.

Should he tell his mom? Was she ready? He didn't think she'd believe him. He didn't think anyone did. I mean, imagine if someone walked up to you to tell you you're a fairytale character, would you believe them? But one thing's for sure, the curse needs to be broken and Emma's the one who needs to do it. But how? And why? His mom needs to defeat the Evil Queen, but Henry doesn't even know who the Evil Queen is.

"Henry," said Regina, shouting in. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just reading, Regina," said Henry.

"Okay," said Regina. "What are you reading?"

"Just an old book," Henry lied.

"Okay," said Regina. "Do you know where your mom is?"

"I don't know," said Henry. "Maybe she's back home late from work."

"Of course," moaned Regina.

Regina seemed very angry. Henry wondered why. "Regina, is there something wrong?"

"No," said Regina. "Everything's fine."

"Good," said Henry.

Suddenly, the door opened. Emma walked in.

"Henry, I'm home," said Emma.

"It's about time!" said Regina.

"Why are you in such a mood?" asked Emma.

"I'm not," Regina said.

"I can tell when you're lying," bragged Emma.

"Mom!" Henry said, hugging Emma.

"Wow," said Emma. "You seem happy."

Well, of course he was happy. He just found out that this town was super cursed and that his troubled mother had to save it.

"Miss Blanchard gave me this book," Henry said, holding up the book of fairytales with the words 'Once Upon a Time' on it.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," said Emma.

It was the next morning, Emma awoke. She was in the same mood as she usually was. Pretending to be happy. Luckily, Emma had a lot more on her mind right now. Henry was the happiest he'd been in weeks, and it was all because of a book somehow.

Regina was making breakfast, with apples. Emma noticed Regina had a weird obession with apples. She didn't know why she liked them so much.

"Are you akay?" Regina asked.

"I'm fine," said Emma. "Henry's really happy, so I'm really happy."

"Mom!" said Henry, very cheerfully. "Good morning!"

"You certainly had a good night's sleep," said Emma.

"Course I did," said Henry. "I just found out..."

Henry hesitated.

"Just found out what?" Emma asked.

"That Storybrooke is more interesting than I thought," said Henry.

"Well, kid," said Emma. "Let's get you to school."

Emma walked Henry to school. This is something she rarely did, especially before she came to Storybrooke, but she wanted to see Mary Margaret to thank her for giving him that book.

"Bye Mom!" Henry said when they got there.

"Hey," Mary Margaret said.

"Thanks," said Emma.

"You're welcome," said Mary Margaret. "But what did I do?"

"You gave Henry that book," said Emma. "I haven't seen him this happy in ages."

"Well, I'm happy to help," said Mary Margaret. "He was just looking upset. I wanted to give him some hope."

"Well, you certainly suceeded at that," said Emma. "It's like our argument last week never happened."

There was a phone call.

"Oh, that's Graham," said Emma. "Got to go."

"Well, I've got to get to class," said Mary Margaret. "I'll see you later."

Henry was investigating the identity of the Evil Queen. But how to do it? And when to do it? He doesn't really know that many people in Storybrooke, and he would have to find someone who is either legitimetly happy, which he's not sure if anyone here fits that description.

"Hey Henry," said Paige, coming up to him. "What are you reading?"

"Just some old fairytales," Henry lied. They are a lot more than just fairytales.

"Hey," Henry continued, "Can I ask you a question about the town?"

"Sure," Paige said. "What is it?"

Henry thought of a way to put this. "Is anyone in this town you know... evil?"

"No one I can think of," said Paige, "Except maybe Mr. Gold."

Mr. Gold was just that guy who had given his mom a lot of trouble last week. Henry hadn't met him, and while he seemed succesful and terrifying, Henry was sure that The Evil Queen wouldn't change her gender. Why would that make her happy?

Paige walked off. Henry probably sounded crazy. He knew that no one would believe him, but to him, it sounded logical, but he would hqve to do a lot of searching if he really wanted to find out the identity of the Evil Queen.

"Mr. Gold."

"Sheriff."

"May I ask why you're here?" asked Graham.

"I've come to speak to Miss Swan," said Gold.

Gold had decided that he had plans to turn Emma against Regina. Start small and then build up to it. Her breaking the curse was going to be a lot harder when Emma was actually friends with Regina. Hopefully, that won't last long. But first he has to has to do something harder. He has to make Emma Swan trust him. Luckily, the information he found would be enough.

"She's kind of at work right now," Graham said.

"I don't care," said Gold. "I want to speak to her."

"It's fine, Graham," said Emma.

"Fine," said Graham. "But get back to me later."

"I will," said Emma. "What are you doing here? Thought of a favour yet?"

"Not exactly, but I do have something to tell you," said Gold.

"What?" said Emma.

"You kind of messed up one of my deals 10 years ago," said Gold.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" exclaimed Emma. "I came to Storybrooke less than a month ago!"

"Course you did," said Gold. "That's not what I was talking about. I was talking about you, Miss Swan. You and your son. Regina was going to be the adoptive mother of your kid because she made a deal with me."

"I already worked out she was going to be Henry's adoptive mother," Emma said.

"You did?" questioned Gold. "How?"

Gold was surprised. He knew Miss Swan was smart, sure, but he was smarter. He was over 200 years old after all. He's known Regina since she was a baby. How did Emma work this out by not even knowing her for a month?

"She told me she tried to adopt a kid 10 years ago, but the birth mother changed her mind just before she was about to," said Emma. "She didn't mention you had anything to do with this entire thing."

"Does she know?" asked Gold, hoping that the answer is no.

"What?"

"Does she know that you're the birth mother that ruined her chance of adoption 10 years ago?" continued Gold.

"No," said Emma. "I haven't told her."

"Why not?" Gold asked.

"Because..."

"Because you think she might try and steal your son again," said Gold.

"Again?"

"Remember that time she kidnapped him?" said Gold, stating the obvious. "Or have you forgotten about that?"

"She's trying to make up for that," said Emma. "Anyway, why do you have so much beef with Regina?"

"My rivalry with the mayor is my business," said Gold. "I just came here to give you some information. And to say that you might be the reason why Regina hates me."

"What do you mean?" asked Emma.

"She thinks I wanted this," said Gold. "She thinks I made you keep him. If you tell her, then she'll find out it's not my fault. You ruined my life, Miss Swan."

"I didn't know!" argued Emma.

"But if you want to make up for it," said Gold. "You're welcome."

Gold looked at himself as he left. In that conversation with Emma, he never once lied. She hoped that Emma would take the offer, so that Gold could get her to trust him, and then he can succesfully turn against Regina. He needed to do this. He was doing all of this to find his son.

Henry got home. He had had a weird and hard day. At school, he had made no progress with his investigation. None at all. No one was going to believe him, no one was even going to _listen _to him, so what could he do?

"Regina," said Henry.

"What is it, Henry?" asked Regina. "I'm kind of busy right now."

"Well...," said Henry. "You're the mayor of this town, I'm just wondering if there's anyone in this town who seems particularly... off."

Regina looked at him. Like she was staring in his eyes.

"I don't think there's anyone like that," said Regina, but she sounded like she was lying. Henry didn't have a superpower like his mother, but it still wasn't the best.

"Are you sure?" said Henry. "Any woman who seems... evil?"

"Evil," laughed Regina. "Henry, where are you getting all of this from?"

"My mom told me to look out for bad people," said Henry. "And since you're the mayor, you would know."

"Well, I can assure you, there is no one evil in this town," said Regina.

Henry walked out. Now he knew. He had worked it out. Regina was the Evil Queen. It makes sense. A lot of sense. She sneers at everyone, everyone is scared of her, she was rich, she was smartly dressed, definitley happier than most people in this town, even though still not particularly happy.

Regina was The Evil Queen. And Henry and his mom, The Savior were... living with her. Oh no. They had to get out of there.


End file.
